


Earth does break the things that we make

by TrashficParlour



Series: Commissions [3]
Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Magic, Ambiguous/Open Ending, Angst, Character Death, Djinni & Genies, Fights, Food mention, Found Family, Gen, Grief/Mourning, I dont know if I need to add anything else, If you guys think I forgot smth please let me know, Implied Death, Implied/Referenced Torture, Magic, Magic-Users, Minor Character Death, Orphans, Plot Twists, Revenge, Spears, War, Weapons, but make it sad, eating mention, i think
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-06
Updated: 2020-06-06
Packaged: 2021-03-04 00:21:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,930
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24564541
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TrashficParlour/pseuds/TrashficParlour
Summary: The world was in shambles.War reigned over almost every part of the planet, dark magic had become stronger and stronger by the day, and the death toll rose daily to an almost uncountable number. All over the world, rulers had united to either rebel or join the dictator that had made most of the world his empire. The rebellion was on the losing side and any that were dumb enough to try and change something got captured or killed. The world was doomed for all of those who didn’t want to surrender and submit.Magic, once a feat mostly everyone was privy too if they had the proper training, had become something only high standing citizens and descendants of powerful wizards were able to access. The wars had eradicated and destroyed so many families, along with most of the schools, which made learning magic properly nigh impossible. Due to the limited amount of wizards that stood on the rebelling side, the means to try and fight back were scarce.That’s where Roman Hall came in.
Relationships: Anxiety | Virgil & Creativity | Roman & Logic | Logan & Morality | Patton, Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders & Dark Creativity | Remus "The Duke" Sanders
Series: Commissions [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1451518
Kudos: 9





	Earth does break the things that we make

**Author's Note:**

> This was a commission and I had to say I had a lot of fun writing this! Please do heed the warnings though, it gets a little dark near the end. Also if you know where the name Lunaris came from then what's up you are a nerd like me (Not from WoW though, I can say that much)

The world was in shambles.

War reigned over almost every part of the planet, dark magic had become stronger and stronger by the day, and the death toll rose daily to an almost uncountable number. All over the world, rulers had united to either rebel or join the dictator that had made most of the world his empire. The rebellion was on the losing side and any that were dumb enough to try and change something got captured or killed. The world was doomed for all of those who didn’t want to surrender and submit.

Magic, once a feat mostly everyone was privy too if they had the proper training, had become something only high standing citizens and descendants of powerful wizards were able to access. The wars had eradicated and destroyed so many families, along with most of the schools, which made learning magic properly nigh impossible. Due to the limited amount of wizards that stood on the rebelling side, the means to try and fight back were scarce.

That’s where Roman Hall came in.

He was certainly dumb enough to try, and, well, he had to do _something_. The war had cost him so much. His parents, his brother. The loss of his brother had been particularly hard. Their parents died when they were barely older than eight. Ever since then it had been him and Remus against the world. That was until Lord Lunaris commanded a raid on their town of course. Remus had died in the raid. He and Roman got seperated and afterwards Roman had never seen him again (he had never found a body, but he knew that didn’t mean anything. He had waited so long for Remus to come back, waited weeks in the small hideout they had lived in at the time of the attack before he reluctantly had to move on when food went scarce). That day he had sworn revenge. He was not a skilled wizard by any means, he barely knew any magic. The limited training he had had quickly been cut short with the beginning of the war and books about magic only brought you so far if you didn’t have anyone to teach you the basics. That, however, did not stop him from making an attempt to fight.

He was not alone in his plans however.

After Remus’ death he had spent most of his time moving around, trying to find shelter and food, and just surviving. After years of traveling around the country he had run into Logan Meyer, a boy that was just like him. He had lost everything in the war as well, his family, his home, his friends. Alone, just like Roman, though much more careful and calculating about the situation, always picking the best cities and spots where survival was ideal enough and far away from any imperial armies so that a raid or a takeover was unlikely.

Their meeting had been an accident. Roman had been scouring the city for abandoned houses, so he had a shelter for however long he decided to stay. Well, it turned out someone else had the same idea as him. A little while after he had settled in someone else entered the building, looking cautious and slightly on edge. When he spotted Roman his eyes widened before he caught himself and cleared his throat.

“Apologies, I thought this old building didn’t have anyone living in it.”

Roman, who had up until then never really managed to keep a friend, had just shrugged at the other’s words, motioning for him to come inside anyway.

“Just moved in today. Though, I could use a roommate.”

Logan had seemed grateful at that and entered the building, settling a bit farther away from Roman. The two had begun talking and Roman had found out Logan’s story and his personal gripes with the whole situation. How his city had rebelled against Lord Lunaris and how it cost the majority of the city their lives. Logan was one of the few that managed to flee and was now on his own, roaming the streets. Similarly to Roman, he was not gifted in magic either, though research of proper techniques was more up Logan’s alley, as Roman soon found out. Logan was also interested in all sorts of mythology and legends, ranging from kids stories to urban legends. A lot of the info he got from libraries that have since been burned to the ground, or from hushed whispers on the streets; the redistribution of these ‘fairytales’, as the Lord called them (Roman didn’t quite understand what that was supposed to mean, a lot of the stories didn’t even contain fairies), was strictly forbidden and punishable. Depending on the outrageousness of the story (which was a vague scale to begin with), possibly by death. 

They were orphans though. They didn’t have a lot to lose, except maybe each other and, well, if one got caught, then so would the other, though Roman would do everything in his might to ensure nothing would happen to Logan. He refused to let what happened to Remus happen again.

It had been just the two of them for a while, traversing the country together, never settling down for longer than a month before having to flee to avoid sieges and attacks. It certainly wasn’t the most fun life, but at least they weren’t alone anymore. And, well, soon there would be three of them.

They had just gotten to a new city, the one they had previously been in being destroyed in an attack. They had barely gotten away in time; not the first close call they had and certainly not the last. In an attempt to stay somewhere longer than just a week or two they had traveled farther than just the closest city, as that would, presumably, be the army’s next target. They had decided to travel farther, more to the outskirts of the country.

The city of Emona was often forgotten, despite its rich history. Due to being terribly secluded it was mostly left alone, both by the rebellion and by the dictator, making it the perfect place for orphaned runaways to hide. Logan had mentioned that he had been meaning to go here before all of _this_ had happened.

“My family is from there,” he told Roman as they embarked on their journey. “I have always wanted to find out more, my parents were horribly secretive about our past. From what I understood of their hushed whispers my grandfather was a powerful wizard. I would love to understand and uncover the secrets he left behind, perhaps even learn a bit of magic myself. After all, if it is in my blood then I should be at least a little gifted, correct?”

Roman wasn’t really sure if that was correct. After all, he, too, came from a family that were respected and powerful with magic while he himself couldn’t even get the gist of a simple light spell. So he figured that, no, just because Logan’s grandfather was powerful didn’t mean that he was. He didn’t voice that thought though, not wanting to take this little bit of hope from his friend. And who knew? Perhaps Roman was just an exception and Logan truly _was_ a miracle waiting to happen.

When they arrived in Emona, relief struck them instantly. The city was completely intact, looking so peaceful that one might forget the wars and suffering happening outside of its borders. The only thing giving away the terrible state their world was in were the abundance of guards around the outer walls of the city. Such as the guards that held them up.

“Stop,” one of them spoke, moving to stand in their way. “What is your business coming into our city?” 

Roman glanced over to Logan, hoping his companion would answer and not make him do it. He might be gifted with words but not at coming up with them on the spot, especially not when faced with the threat of punishment, possibly death. Who knew what these guards would do to them if their answer wasn’t sufficient? Luckily Logan did have him covered.

“We are seeking shelter,” he said, looking as unfazed as one could be. “We are both orphans just looking for a place to stay. We don’t want to cause any trouble.” 

The guard’s glare was piercing and Roman felt incredibly uncomfortable with it. He did, however, step away to grant both of them entry.

“Fair enough. You do not look like threats, and I am not one to deny helpless citizens shelter and protection. You may enter.”

Both had thanked him before looking for a place to make their own. They eventually found one, an old stable that looked like it hadn’t been used in decades. It was pretty run down, the hay was moldy, and cobwebs adorned the entirety of it, but it was shelter nonetheless. The roof was intact and the walls seemed to be in a good enough condition that they would protect them, come rain or storms. This would be their home for as long as they were able to stay.

“Seeing as Emona is flourishing still, we might be able to get proper jobs and sustain ourselves. We could possibly even afford a proper place to stay if we are lucky enough. Of course, all that depends on how long we will be hidden.”

Roman nodded. It sounded reasonable enough, and for the first time since the beginning of the war he felt something similar to hope.

Night came and both of them had discussed what information they gathered over the day, what jobs might be viable to them and how much money each of them could earn until they were interrupted. A boy, around their age, entered the stable, looking pretty scared. When he noticed Roman and Logan, Roman could see fear flash across the other’s face before he put on a nervous smile.

“Oh- I wasn’t aware this place was inhabited. Would you possibly have room for one more or is this party exclusive?”

Even in the faint light of the nearly dying lamps Logan and Roman had, the latter could see the exhaustion on the boy’s face and couldn’t help but pity him. Weren’t they all in the same boat? 

“We sure do, come in.”

He patted the spot next to him and the instant relief that washed over the other’s face brought a smile to Roman’s own.

The boy had introduced himself as Patton. An orphan just like them, who had lost everything in the war. Though, unlike them, he was actually able to practice and use magic. Roman immediately knew that this would be incredibly helpful to all of them. Not only to help them defend themselves, and to greatly aid them with jobs and keeping their stable in a good condition, but also because Roman figured that now, for the first time, they might have a chance to get revenge.

He and Logan had talked about it before, of course, but they both knew they didn’t really stand a chance. They had something resembling a plan but both of them wouldn’t be able to do it on their own. With Patton however… there might finally be a chance.

Roman wouldn’t make him, of course. He wasn’t sure if the other even wanted to get revenge like they did but it was at least worth a shot to ask. Not now, though, now was not the time. Patton deserved proper rest and, after all, they barely knew each other yet. He wasn’t about to rope some stranger into a potentially deadly adventure. 

The three of them got along well, and made a proper home of their little stable. Patton was, as it turned out, more than just ‘capable’ of magic. He was incredibly gifted at it, and with his help they managed to transform the stable into something resembling a cottage, with proper beds, ovens, and everything one might need. Well, for the most part. They still lived a life without any luxury items such as technology. That wasn’t a privilege poor orphans were privy to, even if it would have helped them quite a lot in their quest. The old, portable library Logan always carried with him was far from up to date and none of them really had much opportunity to update it. It would have simply been too expensive and stealing something for it wasn’t worth the risk. Luckily for them the library of Emona held all the knowledge they needed.

Roman and Logan eventually told Patton about their revenge plans, and, much to their surprise, Patton wanted in almost immediately.

“I owe it to my family,” he had said, determined and more serious than either of them had seen him before. “I owe it to myself too.”

Together they realized that the plan Logan and Roman had strung together was impossibly unrealistic and nothing more than wishful thinking, so it was back to square one. That’s where the library came in. It held books on magical history and creatures and, through luck, Logan managed to find some information that showed to be incredibly useful to the group, even if chances of it were slim.

“The lost Genie of Ylana,” Logan had told them once he returned from his daily research. “Legends speak it’s the last of its kind. It’s not a lot but it is a place to start.”

“That’s not too far from here is it? Barely a two days walk.” “It is not far, but Ylana is the previous lair of Lord Lunaris, so do you really think we will even be able to find anything? Wouldn’t it be possible that he might have already used it?”

Roman interjected both of them, eyes sparkling. “Absolutely not. Genie’s aren’t able to be summoned by just anyone! Only those that have never meddled with dark magic will, it’s got something to do with the Genie-Demon rivalry, whereas demons are the opposite! So if anything he might have taken it somewhere else. If he even found it that is!”

Patton frowned. “Wouldn’t he have just gotten rid of it then? Since it’s probably the only thing standing in his way and all.” “Genie lamps themselves can’t be destroyed, did you never have magical history? The only way to kill a Genie is when you summon it and since we know Lord Fartface would never be able to do that it has to still be out there!” “But-” “Can’t we have just a little hope for once?”

Roman’s voice had quivered a little at that last sentence and Patton shut his mouth quickly, realizing this was not the proper time to argue.

“Sorry Ro,” he mumbled, looking away. “Maybe you’re right! We can at least try! Ylana isn’t far and if it really is a dead end, well, then we just have to keep trying!” He glanced over to Logan, awaiting the other’s answer. Logan just shrugged. “It is worth a try. We will have to be incredibly careful though, the cave might be laden with traps and other powerful spells, we are going to have to prepare this journey properly.”

Well, at least they said they would. When it came to the actual execution of this plan neither Roman nor Patton really heeded Logan’s warnings. They were, of course, not completely unprepared but they had no proper defenses against any magical traps that might be in their way. 

The road to Ylana was dangerous, mainly because they had to step outside of their safe bubble that was Emona. With them leaving what they now called home, they made themselves a target, they put themselves into danger. Though… considering where they were heading they were putting themselves into danger either way. They had been lucky enough to not run into anyone, Ylana hidden deep inside the woods surrounding the border, which generally no one dared to traverse. Both sides were scared of soldiers and fighters hiding out there and neither of them wanted to risk being surprised, which made it the perfect path for the small group.

Of course that didn’t mean they were ever actually safe and neither of them believed it. Just because most stayed away didn’t mean that everyone was so cautious. Both sides had people that were ready to risk their life for what they believed in and therefore they needed to be on the lookout and watch their backs all the way to their destination. Sleeping was only an option in shifts. Two of them resting while another stood guard.

After three long days they finally reached their destination and, well, what they found was not what either of them were expecting.

They knew the cave was an abandoned lair and that, therefore, it had to have some magical protection still left but not _this._ What had once been a terrifying hideout and hotspot for dark magic was now nothing more than a mere cave, unscheinbar and abandoned. Or, well, that’s what they had assumed at first. The moment they tried to enter the cave, an invisible force field sent a shock through Roman’s hand, who had been the first one to attempt to enter.

“What the-?” he asked, sucking on the slightly burned spot on his thumb. He glanced over to Logan, hoping the other had an explanation parat.

“Protection spell, it seems. I don’t know if we have anything to break it. It makes sense, of course, if the lamp is truly in there then Lunaris would do anything in his might to protect it.” 

Roman didn’t miss the way Logan deflated a little during his explanation and he couldn’t really blame him. This was their only hope, they had come so far, only to be foiled by a simple spell? Three days journey for nothing.

“Maybe there’s another way? We could at least try, right?”

Patton’s attempt to sound hopeful diverged more into ‘desperate’ and Roman realized all three of them had lost hope. What a waste of time.

Right as Roman was about to suggest that, if there truly was another way in, they should try to find it, he noticed something move from far into the cave. A figure. Immediately he took on a fighting stance, Logan and Patton doing the same.

Roman was going to ask “Who’s there?” but the figure beat him to it. They stepped out of the shadows and Roman pretty much immediately lowered his ‘weapon’ (nothing more than a sharpened stick, if he were being honest). It was a boy, around their age, though looking much much worse than either of them had ever been. He looked thin, incredibly so, almost as if he were starving. His skin was pale and dirty and he looked like he hadn’t showered in a long, long time. Carefully the boy approached the barrier, looking incredibly terrified.

“Please don’t hurt me.”

The boy’s voice was just as frail and weak as he looked and Roman felt pity. What happened to him, why was he here?

“We won’t if you won’t,” Patton spoke, slowly getting into a less threatening position. “Will you tell us who you are and why you’re here?”

The boy didn’t look convinced. “Why should I trust you?” “We are orphans who barely have any training in fighting or magic, I don’t even think we can reach you through that barrier.”

The boy considered those words, staying quiet for a little before nodding and sighing.

“My name is Virgil. I’m a prisoner here,” he admitted, sitting down. “I got captured by Lunaris years ago when I tried to sneak into his lair. That’s part of why he abandoned this place.” He turned his gaze to the ground, picking at it. “They had me thrown into a cell for a while until they were ready to leave. Then they left me here.”

“No offense, but how are you still alive? Surely you… should have been dead by now, correct? Lunaris has abandoned this place years ago, like you said.” Patton and Roman nodded as well. It was… a crass question to ask but still something to wonder about nonetheless.

Virgil’s laugh was bitter. 

“They put a spell on me. One that makes it so I don’t gotta eat or drink anymore. Said they wanted to torture me for the rest of my life for what I attempted to do.” “Why did you sneak in here anyway?”

The answer really didn’t surprise Roman, considering they were here for the same thing.

“I wanted the lamp.”

Patton gasped at that, looking between Logan and Roman and then back to Virgil.

“We are here for that too! Do you know what happened to it? And do you know how we can get you out of here? I don’t want to leave you here.”

Virgil nodded before explaining how Lord Lunaris had taken the lamp with him when he left the cave, and then mentioned the name of the spell used on both the barrier and on him.

“I don’t know much about magic, so I have no idea how to reverse it. Otherwise I’d have gotten out of here years ago.”

While Virgil spoke, Logan had pulled out a few of the books he had brought along as well as his pocket library. It might be outdated, but that didn’t mean it didn’t hold at least a little valuable knowledge. After a bit of searching he found what he was looking for. He glanced over to Patton and showed him the page with the reversal spell.

“Do you think you can handle this? It doesn’t seem to be too hard, but I am not the best judge when it comes to magic.”

Patton took the small device, taking in all the information, quietly reading it outloud before he nodded, giving it back to Logan.

“I think I can. All of you, please stay back in case something backfires.”

The spell sounded much more complicated than it was. A few simple hand motions and some words Roman didn’t understand brought along a flash of light and then… well Roman wasn’t sure it worked and he really didn’t want to be the one to try again. His hand still stung. Luckily for him, he didn’t need to anyway. it was Virgil who tried, cautiously reaching forward and pretty much immediately bursting into tears when nothing happened. He was freed.

He fell to his knees and started to sob, thanking Patton inbetween. He promised he’d make it up to the three of them in whatever way they wanted and Roman realized that this boy was broken. And damn if that didn’t fuel his need for revenge even more.

“Do you want to come back with us?” Roman offered. You look terrible, no offense. You can shower and get some proper food, and we will find a way to reverse that spell put on you as well, I’m sure.”

Virgil, of course, accepted the offer tearfully and soon after the group made their way back to Emona, which was just as they left it. It looked so peaceful still, as if the world was not thrown into war and misery. The one safe place the world still had.

The first thing Virgil did was shower. 

Roman didn’t want to tell the other but the other stunk to all heavens. It was to be expected, of course. The guy had been trapped in a cave for years with no access to running water or soap. He knew Virgil surely was ashamed of it as well and sometimes he had at least a modicum of tact. Still, it was pretty unbearable, he wouldn’t lie. Afterwards the other passed out. He slept for almost two days and it worried all of them.

Patton tried to stay positive throughout. The other was still breathing and this was probably the first proper rest he had gotten in a long time so really, it was no reason to be worried! Any attempts Logan made to argue that this amount of sleep were unhealthy were shut down pretty much immediately.

While Virgil slept, the three had not only figured out a way to reverse the spell put on Virgil but also worked on a plan to get to Lunaris current lair. Or, well, it was more a castle, wasn’t it? Either way, they had begun to form a plan.

All they needed, really, was a good distraction to get inside the castle, and then they needed to find the location of the lamp. Sounded easy enough. Roman refused to acknowledge that it would be anything but,. It’d be fine, they could handle this. 

Planning was… difficult and the cause of quite a few arguments between the friends.

Logan insisted they should be careful, Roman was adamant about winging it. Patton was caught somewhere in between. He agreed that they should definitely be careful, but he also knew that there was no way they could properly plan and prepare for everything. If he was being honest, he wasn’t sure they could actually prepare for much of anything. He wasn’t sure if they were ready for it. He would be willing to try, though. What did they have to lose anyway?

When Virgil woke up it was time to break the news about their plan to the other. To say Virgil wasn’t a fan of the idea would be an understatement, not that any of them could blame him. His attempts to get the lamp had cost him years of his life, locked up in some abandoned cave with no way of getting out. And now his saviors were about to risk the same thing?

He certainly tried to dissuade them, more than once in fact, but never really managed. And he was aware it was pretty much hopeless, but that didn’t stop him from trying. He was worried, extremely so. He didn’t want them to fall to the same fate that he had. However, when he realized that, yeah, he would absolutely not manage to get them to stay, he decided to join them instead.

“I’m gonna come with you,” he had said with a sigh. “Since I can’t stop you, I should come along to make sure you guys will be okay instead.” “Are you sure? You just got freed, this could get you captured or killed again…” “Yeah, I am. Last time I was alone, so it made sense. We aren’t alone now, there might actually be a chance.”

He hadn’t sounded very convinced, but the others knew better than to argue anymore. And didn’t that reflect all their outlook on this mission? Hopeless but determined? 

They spent a lot of nights staying up late, trying to make a plan on how to get to their destination the fastest, making plans of the castle from what they knew about it. The library held a few pictures of the castle, enough so for them to do an accurate enough map of all the viable entrances they could use. It was less than they had hoped there were, but at least more than just the main one.

So, eventually, with a half-baked plan and a lot of idiocy they were ready.

The road to the castle was treacherous and long, almost a five day walk. They used the same tactic as to their hike to Ylana; sleeping in shifts so as to avoid being surprised attacked. It was not desirable but it was the best they could do, especially because, the closer they got to Lunaris’s lair, the higher the probability of running into soldiers and similar was, and therefore their survival chances got slimmer and slimmer by the day. Still, they were determined.

It was the night before their planned infiltration and Roman was on guard duty. He was… nervous, to say the last. Looking over the dark woods and regularly checking on his friends he contemplated what was before them, the absolute ludicrosity of their plan. Infiltrating probably the best guarded and most dangerous building in the world, getting an object that they weren’t even sure was kept here and even _if_ ; they had no clue Lunaris didn’t just carry it on his person. Overall it was a pretty risky plan and Roman was beginning to get cold feet. Not that he would ever admit to that. He would power through, he always did, but still, it scared him to no end.

From beside him he heard a noise, and he immediately raised his weapon, though he lowered it when he saw it was just Virgil.

“Oh- sorry if I scared you, I thought you might be someone else,” Roman mumbled upon noticing Virgil’s widened eyes. The other simply shook his head.

“Don’t worry ‘bout it.”

He got up with a hum, taking a place next to Roman and staring up at the sky. It was clear this night, giving view of all the stars. It was honestly quite beautiful, but it truly was a shame that none of them could properly appreciate its beauty. 

“Something’s bothering you,” Virgil pointed out, as if it was the most obvious thing. Maybe it was, Roman was never the best at hiding his feelings, no matter how hard he tried. “What’s up?”

“Well, for one, in about five hours we are going to sneak inside that building-” he nodded in the general direction of where the lair was, “-and will have to figure out a way through it to an object that might _not even be there_. Some of us might die and if we are super unlucky we might get captured or something.” 

Virgil nodded and stayed quiet for a little, just looking up at the sky.

“If we win-,” he said eventually, “-then we will save the entire world. It seemed just out of reach every time, hasn’t it? So close, yet so far. This is our only shot and we are probably the only people stupid enough to try this.”

His laugh was a certain kind of bitter that Roman couldn’t quite place, though he could hear the determination in Virgil’s voice.

“What do we have to lose? Sooner or later everything will catch up with us anyway, won’t it? I’ve spent years of my life holed up in some abandoned cave without so much as a bed or food, let alone friends or family. Now you guys found me, completely on accident, and now I’m risking all that again. We only have each other, Ro, and even that might not last much longer. The world’s at war, nowhere’s safe and we need to do this if we even want a slight chance of survival.”

Roman wouldn’t mention it, but he could clearly see Virgil’s trembling bottom lip or the few tears that had begun to make their way down his face during his speech. Virgil still refused to look at him, pointedly watching the stars.

“If you want some rest I’ll take over.”

Roman just nodded and mumbled a thanks, leaving Virgil the weapon as he got up and made his way over to his sleeping bag, head buzzing.

The next morning rolled around sooner than he had hoped and he felt anything but well rested when he felt Virgil shake him awake. Breakfast was really just discussing their strategy multiple times and, every time, coming to the conclusion that they really had no strategy. Their plan was improbable at best and impossible at worst. Needless to say, tension was high as they packed their camp and began the walk towards the lair. They managed to avoid most of the guards, mostly thanks to Patton’s silencing spell. It didn’t manage to completely hide all of their noises, Patton just wasn’t skilled enough for that, but it was enough to mute the ruffling of the leaves as they walked.

It was only a good twenty minutes before they were where they wanted to be. Over the past couple of days Logan had been the one to sneak here over and over again, trying to study the shift patterns of the guards, their field of vision, any traps they might’ve sprung and just generally all of the information he could gather. It was risky, incredibly so. He almost got caught once and Logan hadn’t really felt safe since then. Even now, despite being the most observant and reasonable one of the group, he couldn’t help but feel intense anxiety about the possibility of them being anticipated by the Lord or his minions, simply due to his incompetence. The others had shut down that possibility and told him not to worry, though he wasn’t really sure how one _wasn’t_ supposed to worry in a situation like this, where one wrong move could mean death. He let it slide, however, just watching the guards intently.

“Any minute they’ll take a break. We have about a minute before the next guards come. We should be able to do that. They will round the corner and that’s when the 60 seconds start. If we are lucky there will be a bit more time, though if we act fast I don’t think we will need it,” Logan told the others, receiving various nods in return.

And true to what he said, the guard checked his watch before leaving his post. Nodding to each other, the gang sprinted forward as soon as he rounded the corner.

“Patton, put a silencing spell on the alarm,” Logan hissed at his friend as he fiddled with the lock. It wasn’t particularly difficult, as the door had to remain open at all times due to it being an emergency exit. Patton nodded, casting the spell quickly enough. Even if it let noises through it wouldn’t be loud enough to draw any attention to them immediately. If anything, the muffled sounds might drive guards away to a completely different area in hopes of finding the source there. Either way, it would grant them easy access.

Logan let out a small ‘Ha!’ when he managed to open the door and Patton had indeed been right, the noise was muffled. They could hear footsteps distance themselves and they used that as their cue to shut the door behind them again, effectively shutting off the alarm. (How that worked or why it did, Logan couldn’t say. That was a terrible anti-burglary provision. not that he minded, of course).

“Where now?”

Logan, taking out his trusty pocket library took a small look at the approximate plan he had drawn out of all the blueprints and estimates and all the other stuff he had found in the library of Emona. It was, hopefully, good enough to lead them through this place. He studied the plan for a second before pointing towards a door at the end of the hallway. The others nodded and, after checking for guards, they quickly made their way towards said door, entering quickly and then… there stood someone. Right behind the door, as if he had been waiting for them. 

Logan and Virgil raised their weapons at the stranger, ready to attack if need be. Patton took on a fighting stance as well, already thinking of every possible spell he could use against the man. Roman however…

“No…”

Roman fell to his knees, making his companions hiss out in various degrees of confusion. A nervous glance towards the stranger really didn’t do much to soothe their nerves or heal their confusion.

“Wow, brother dear, when I saw you and your friends outside I just _knew_ I had to be the one that greets you!”

The man giggled and it suddenly clicked for all of them. Oh. _Oh no._

“Remus…?”

Roman’s voice cracked, just by saying his name. It always did. If he told stories he always just said ‘my brother’ or ‘my twin’, not being able to bear saying his name. It hurt him. And now… now his brother stood before him. Alive. Grinning. Dressed in soldiers' clothes.

“Indeed Roro! It’s me! Well, I didn’t think I’d ever see you again, how nice of you to come visit me! Really, you didn’t need to!”

The cheery and casual tone of voice haunted Roman. How… why? Why was Remus so happy about all this? Wasn’t he sad? Didn’t he at least _miss_ him too?

“You’ve been- you’ve been here all those years? Alive and working for _him?”_

Nothing made sense to him anymore. Nothing felt right. This had to be a lie, a trick. Something, _anything._ He refused to believe that this was his brother. the same brother he had missed for years, the same brother he had been planning to do this mission for, as revenge. And now that brother stood here, trying to stop him from achieving just that? No.

_”NO!”_

He shook his head and got up, grabbing his spear as he did so. He refused to acknowledge the tears in his eyes. With shaky hands he aimed it towards Remus.

“I don’t believe it, you’re not my brother, you _can’t_ be my brother! Remus is dead!”

“Oh brother dearest, you’ve never been stupid, why start now?” Remus giggled, taking a defiant stance, hands on his hip. “I’m alive and well, aren’t I? Did you ever consider Lunaris might’ve spared my life all those years ago? You know, the guards took me here and Lunaris was so nice! He took me in and guess what? I’m his successor, isn’t that great? I’ll rule the entire world one day!” The giggle that followed made Roman sick. “And what have you been up to? Mourning me? How cute! Let me guess, you wanted to avenge me? oh you’re so predictable!”

Roman wasn’t really sure if he would have been able to retort, honestly, but that decision was made for him when behind him a door closed. His eyes widened when he realized he was alone in the room now, his friends locked out. Remus giggled once more when he heard them banging on the door.

“Don’t worry, your dumb friends aren’t hurt, they’re just trapped ‘til Lunaris comes back!” “Why are you doing this?” “Hm?” “WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS? What are you gaining from this? Why do you support him?”

There it was again, that giggle that would haunt Roman’s sleep- well, if he ever left this building alive that was. Roman wasn’t even sure if he wanted to do that anymore. But… he couldn’t dwell on those thoughts. 

“Well, little brother, why _wouldn’t_ I want that? I can have everything I ever wanted! Riches, power respect! It’s great! And who _knows_ what Lunaris will give me for capturing you guys? You didn’t just break in but you also released his favorite prisoner! I’m sure he will love to hurt you guys! Now, if you don’t have anything against it, I will take pleasure in fighting you!”

With that, Remus took something from his pocket. Roman recognized it immediately. The soldiers had similar weapons. He really was one of them, huh? Before he could dwell on that anymore, a flash of light erupted from the handle, and only a few seconds later a spear of magic had formed, shining in a bright green. 

“Impressed? I got it for our birthday!”

And without warning he lunged forward, giving Roman barely enough time to jump aside so as to not get cut impaled by that thing (or maybe cut in half, Roman wasn’t actually sure how those things worked and he really didn’t care to find out). That didn’t give him room to breathe though and Remus turned back to him, once again lunging forward. Roman managed to roll to the side once more, quickly holding up his own spear in a defensive motion. But… as he pointed it at Remus he realized that he couldn’t do it. He couldn’t hurt his twin, no matter how much the other wanted to hurt him. He wouldn’t be able to. With a sob he lowered it again.

“I give up.” “Huh?” “I give up. I can’t fight you.”

Remus didn’t understand why. Didn’t he want to save the world or whatever? Why would he just give up and what did he mean he couldn’t fight him? He had to. It didn’t make sense.

“That’s a trick, right? You wanna confuse me and then you’ll strike and kill me or something, right?”

The look Roman gave him was incredulous and, he had to admit, seeing his twin crying like that made his heart twist.

“No I- I can’t hurt you. I’ve spent- I’ve spent all these years missing you and now you’re here and I- you want me to hurt you?! I can’t just _do that!_ I don’t know if you ever even missed me once but I missed _you_ and I can’t do this. I surrender.”

There was a clank, the sound of metal hitting the floor and a thud, before sobs filled the air. Before Roman knew it he was yanked forward into a hug, a string of more-or-less coherent apologies whispered in the general vicinity of his ear. He hugged Remus back tightly, sobbing into his brother’s shoulder.

“I missed you Roman, I missed you so much- I’m so sorry- He- Lunaris had me convinced this was right but I don’t want to fight anymore and I don’t want to fight you,” Remus sobbed, clinging to his brother like he was scared the other would vanish if he let go. Had he not also spent the last few years thinking Roman was dead? Lunaris certainly told him he was and… he had believed him. He sniffed, wiping at his tears.

“You don’t have much time, Lunaris will be here any second,” Remus mumbled, very regretfully pulling away. “Get up, I’ll open the door and you can grab the lamp. It’s in the room behind me. That’s what you’re here for, right?” He nodded to the door. 

Roman nodded, wiping away the last of his tears and got up as well, grabbing his discarded spear.

“What about you?” “If he comes before you got the lamp, I’ll keep him busy.” “Stay safe, okay? I don’t want to lose you again.”

Remus’ chuckle was almost bitter.

“I’m not the safe type, you know me Roro.”

He walked over to what Roman assumes to be a control pad and pressed some buttons which opened the door to let the others in. They immediately looked ready to attack, but Roman quickly held up his hand.

“Don’t! He’s on our side! He’s gonna let us in the room with the lamp! We won!”

The others nodded, all but Virgil lowering their weapons. Virgil kept his sword pointed against Remus, glaring at him.

“Don’t try anything funny, I won’t hesitate.” “Oh you’re gonna pierce me with your cute little toy there? I’m so scared!”

Virgil was ready to argue more, in the mood to Remus’ ass, but a hiss from Roman shut both of them up.

“We don’t have time for this! Remus, open the door!” “Oh yeah, sorry.”

He pressed some more buttons on the control pad and the door slowly rose up, revealing what looked like a museum, a giant collection of all sorts of magical items. Most of which had been eradicated (or at least presumably so) during the wars and Roman quietly wondered for how much of it Lunaris was responsible. His thoughts, however, were brutally disturbed by the sound of a voice behind them.

“What is the meaning of this?”

All their heads whipped around and they came face to face with Lunaris. All of them began to shake, and Roman’s eyes darted between his brother and the room.

“Remus, are you helping the rebels?”

Instead of an answer, Remus turned to the others instead.

“Go!”

Roman didn’t have to be told twice, making a run for the lamp, which was located in the back of the room. It was kept in a glass case, seated on some kind of cushion, which was incredibly ironic if Roman thought about. Keeping the only thing able to defeat you in a display case, as if it were a prized artifact to be preserved instead of a highly dangerous magical item. Such an oversight would be the only reason for Lunaris’ downfall. Roman didn’t think of it however, just blindly running forward, and throwing his spear towards the glass which shattered on impact. He almost tripped over his own feet, reaching forward and-

Just as he had grabbed the lamp he heard a scream behind him, head whipping around as he recognized it as his brother’s. His eyes widened when he saw his brother being lifted by magic and then thrown across the room, right into- He couldn’t watch anymore. Without a glance to the others he rubbed the lamp, having made up his mind about what he was going to wish for.

He glanced up when the genie emerged, the other certainly looking different than what he had anticipated. The genie had… a rather snake-like form, a strange yellow glow emitting from him.

“My name is Janus,” the genie spoke. “Thank you for freeing me from my lamp. You have-” “I wish magic never existed!” “... Pardon me?”

Roman let out a frustrated huff. He didn’t have time for this! He stomped his foot, the tears that had set up camp in his eyes once more spilling quickly.

“I wish magic never existed!” “Your wish is my command, I suppose.”

Roman didn’t care about the uncertainty behind Janus’ words, didn’t care about his friends' worried faces, didn’t care about Lunaris coming closer, or the sudden dizziness that overtook him. His last thought was that this was for the best before he blacked out.

-

Roman Hall awoke like every morning: To a way too loud alarm and the smell of coffee coming from the kitchen. He sat up with a grumble, rubbing at his eyes as he got up, moving to get dressed before making his way towards the kitchen, still half asleep if he was honest. When he sat down at the table he took note of the empty chair. He had always wondered why his family had four of them, they were just three people after all. He couldn’t fight the feeling of something being off, of someone missing but... he shook his head. That was ridiculous, it was just him and his parents.

“I had a really weird dream last night, but I can’t quite remember what it was,” he mumbled as he poured himself a cup of coffee. His mother chuckled as she served him some breakfast, and hummed something about how dreams always tend to be weird.

Afterwards, like every morning, he headed to school, already dreading the day. What made it better though were his friends, who were waiting for him in front of the gates.

“Roman you’re late,” Logan mused, crossing his arms, which made Virgil nudge him. “Has he ever been on time in his life?”

Roman huffed and crossed his arms as well as he reached the others.

“To your knowledge I left the house on time! It’s not my fault the bus is always late!” “Guys let’s not fight this early in the day, yeah?” “Fine Pat, but just ‘cause you said so.”

Logan glared for a second more but nodded eventually, nodding towards the gates.

“Let’s get inside before Mr. Lunaris gives all of us detention.”

He got various hums of agreement before the small group entered school grounds. Life was boring, but it was good, even if the strange feeling of something being wrong persisted.


End file.
